Thackeray, the biopic of Balasaheb Thackeray, the founder of the far-right political outfit Shivsena, takes its likening the late politician to a royal Bengal tiger so far that you half expect Nawazuddin Siddiqui transform into a real tiger, just like Rahul Roy in Junoon (1992). But that’s, sadly, not the case. Instead, from what comes across in the trailer, Thackeray looks like a piece of propaganda masquerading as a regular Hindi film.

The trailer opens with visuals of shutters being downed, and panic among people during the 1992 riots. We are shown skull-capped rioters, armed with swords, running amok. It might remind many of a time not so long ago, when Thackeray’s party workers paralysed the city by shutting it down and created a state of fear after the Shivsena leader’s passing away in 2012. There are dangerous suggestions in the trailer, about Ram Mandir, Pakistan and Babri Masjid, about ‘outsiders’ in Mumbai. We are shown Hindi film banners being pulled out, and replaced by Marathi ones, greeted by triumphant cheers.

Siddiqui, aided by prosthetic, looks uncannily like Thackeray.

The film is directed by Abhijit Panse, produced by Sanjay Raut, a member of Shivsena and a Member of the parliament, Viacom18 Motion Pictures and Carnival Motion Pictures. It will release on 25 January.

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